The Possessive Voice
by lizabeyy
Summary: When seven year old Ryou Bakura is gifted with the ring, he makes an odd promise to the odd spirit who seems to want Ryou all to himself. One could call it simply bad luck when his friends and family begin to drop dead all around him.
1. The Horribly Beautiful Ring

The Bakuras were a wealthy family living in Britain.

Were.

Not anymore, and never again will they be.

No one saw it coming.

How could they?

How could anyone suspect that a simple ring could destroy an entire family?

How could anyone suspect that the vessel of their destruction would be none other than their only son?

* * *

><p>Ryou Bakura had been the early age of seven when he first received the ring from his father.<p>

It had been his birthday.

And what an interesting gift he got…

"_This ring came from Egypt, and it's very valuable." _His father had laughed,_ "I would have kept it for myself… But something told me that it would be better with you." _

And Ryou accepted the ring with a smile.

How could he not have?

It had been the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on…

And now it was his.

It _was_ his.

He could even hear it calling to him…

Wanting to be his.

And Ryou had never felt happier.

* * *

><p>His little sister, Amane, had been jealous of the ring.<p>

She never acted on it,

But he could tell.

However, Ryou never even let her touch it…

And so she left him and went to play with their nanny, instead.

Ryou didn't mind.

He enjoyed being on his own.

Amane had always been so much more carefree than he was.

Much happier.

But Ryou was happy, too…

After all, he had the most beautiful ring in the world.

* * *

><p>It had been that night, when Ryou put on the ring which had been calling him all day,<p>

And suffered his very first blackout.

It had been the next day when Amane had been looking at him strangely.

As if she was looking at a stranger…

Wondering if it was really her big brother or not.

Ryou then heard it.

A weak voice in the back of his head, saying, _"She knows."_

* * *

><p>Ryou failed as a boy.<p>

Even he knew that.

His parents knew.

Amane enjoyed it.

His father was beyond disappointed.

"_I thought I asked God for a son."_ He often said, when he wasn't working away in his office, or off traveling.

* * *

><p>Amane had convinced her brother to wear one of her favorite, black dresses to school that day.<p>

It didn't help that it was a perfect fit.

Ryou had always fallen victim to bullying.

Sometimes he wondered if his dear little sister was really just one of them…

He smiled when he heard laughter in the back of his head.

Ryou was always glad to make the voice laugh.

Even though that laugh was one that sent a shiver down his spine every time he heard it…

It was a laugh that was something you'd hear from a horror film.

But he was happier than he was frightened,

Because Ryou was someone who loved making his friends happy.

Not that he had many friends.

* * *

><p>During school, Ryou had been picked on, teased, and even flirted with constantly.<p>

He had earned a detention for violating the school's dress code.

But that wasn't even bad compared to what was waiting for him after school.

Ryou had soon found himself cornered in the back of the school…

Long after Amane had gone home on the school bus.

Ryou would have gone with her, if he hadn't made a promise to a boy who he had become friends with that day.

That boy had been so nice to him…

Ryou would have never guessed that the boy had been paid to befriend him.

* * *

><p>A little while before the buses had gone, Ryou made his way to the back of the schoolyard, where his new friend promised to be.<p>

Instead he found two boys from his class waiting.

If Ryou wasn't always so polite…

Maybe he would have actually been able to defend himself.

He was either lucky or unlucky when he had yet another one of his blackouts.

* * *

><p>Ryou awoke in his own bed the next day.<p>

He joined Amane at breakfast, listening to her talk away with the nanny about something that had happened at school.

When Amane noticed him, she went right on to telling him the exact same thing that she was telling the nanny.

"_School is closed today, you know."_ She smiled, grimly, _"It's because they found two boys there in a coma. So school's out so the PoPo can have a look around."_

Amane stole one of her brother's breakfast muffins and ate it herself.

She then gave him a suspicious look; "Yesterday you said you were going to meet someone after school, right?"

Ryou nodded, numbly, though he wasn't really paying attention.

If he were, it would have occurred to him that those had been the same boys who had attacked him.

Amane had gone back to eating, though she never took her eyes off her sweet big brother.


	2. A Twisted Promise

_Here he was again. _

_Ryou had found himself here many times in his dreams…_

_A simple dark room made from stone, which was too dark to be able to see anything inside of it. _

_There wasn't a single source of light, yet he could see the other boy perfectly. _

_And the other boy could see him. _

_Ryou's darker look-alike sat there, right in front of him._

_They were both sitting on the cold floor, just looking at each other. _

_The look-alike, Voice, was the one who spoke first. _

"_I hate you for making me wear a dress." He said it, plain and simple. _

"_Sorry."_

"_Stop apologizing so much. It annoys me. You need to stop being so sorry for everything you do…" Voice scowled. _

_Ryou nodded, though he didn't really understand why being polite was such a bad thing in the voice's eyes. _

_Voice continued to speak._

_Not necessarily to Ryou, but probably to himself._

"_I don't like our sister… She knows too much." _

"_Too much about what?" Ryou asked, innocently. _

"_Us." _

_Ryou tilted his head, "She can see you?" _

"_You're my host for a reason." _

"_What does that mean, Voice?" _

_Voice laughed. _

_Though Ryou hadn't told a joke… _

_Voice didn't bother answering the question, and reached over, taking hold of Ryou's hands. _

"_Those mortals who tried to hurt you… I got rid of them, you know." _

_Voice could feel his lighter half stiffen. _

"_You did… What? W-Why?" _

"_The younger of them had a knife. He was going to kill you." _

_When Ryou didn't say anything, Voice squeezed his hands, pouting. _

"_Aren't you happy that I saved you?" _

"_Y-Yes, thank-you, but…" _

"_But what?" _

"_Why did you hurt them?" _

"_They were in the same class as you, Landlord, and they were going to kill you." _

_Voice gave Ryou's arms a rough tug, pulling the weaker boy closer. _

_Ryou didn't give much resistance to the harsh treatment._

_After all, Voice was always rough like this. _

_Voice grinned as Ryou leaned his head into his chest. "You forgive me, don't you?" _

"_I could never stay angry at you, Voice." _

_Voice continued to pull at him, until Ryou was sitting comfortably on his lap. _

"_I want to make a promise to you." Voice's words came out more as a mumble, since he had seemed to get the idea to put Ryou's hand in his mouth._

_Ryou had never minded Voice's strange behaviors. _

_Perhaps because Ryou, himself, was strange. _

_The light chewing between his fingers felt more like a massage, rather than someone attempting to eat his hand. _

_Besides, he knew that Voice would never try to kill him. _

"…_Yes, Voice?" _

_Voice quickly licked the palm of Ryou's hand before releasing it from his mouth and continuing to speak. _

"_I'll make you a promise, if you promise me something in return." _

"_Anything." Ryou smiled to his strange friend. _

_Voice took a few seconds to think about how he would say his request as Ryou waited patiently. _

_Eventually he grinned and spoke, "I want you to promise that you'll always be with me. Promise me that you'll mine, and no one else's. That I can have you all to myself." _

_Ryou blinked. _

_What a strange request from a strange person. _

"_I..."_

_Voice waited for his answer in anticipation. _

_What exactly did he mean by "no one else's"? _

_Did that include family? _

_What about Amane?_

"_What about her?" Voice scowled. _

_Oh._

_Ryou had forgotten that Voice could read his mind. _

"_Will you promise me, or not?" _

_Voice looked angry. _

_Ryou didn't want his Voice to be angry. _

"_I… I promise." _

_Voice's eyes lit up, as if they were the brightest things in the room._

"_I'm glad, Landlord." _

_Ryou smiled, "I'm glad, too."_

_Was he really, though…?_

_It seemed to be an innocent request from Voice, but…_

_Something about it frightened Ryou. _

_As if he had just made the biggest mistake in his life. _

"_Now for my promise to you…" Voice said in almost a whisper, "I promise that I'll protect you. I'll protect you from those bullies, and any other mortal who tries to hurt you. I'll gladly kill them all. Every last one, for you." _

_Ryou looked up at him, both happy and frightened. _

"_From now on…" Voice continued, "You're mine. I won't let anyone else hurt you. You're mine to hurt and mine alone, and I'll kill anyone who tries to take you away from me." _

_That should have terrified Ryou, though instead, he smiled and hugged his dark look-alike. _

"_Yes, I'd like that." _


	3. My Dear Amane

It had been months since the incident with the two boys.

School had started up again a long time ago, after it was decided that nothing could be done for the two comatose victims.

* * *

><p>It was the weekend and Ryou saw his sister in the den, but didn't dare greet her.<p>

She was busy drawing as always, anyway.

He was just about to go around the hall to his bedroom, when Amane pounced onto his back.

"Big Brother, stop ignoring me! You never talk to me, anymore! How come?" She exclaimed, while clawing at his shirt.

"Please let go of me, sister."

"No way, I wanted to know what happened to my big brothe-"

Amane gasped, stepping backwards when she accidentally ripped Ryou's shirt completely in half…

Reviling the many, deep scars that were infested all over her brother's back.

Some scars, even spelling out words.

"B-Big brother… Who did this to you?"

"Oh… I-It was a kid at school. He just won't leave me alone." Ryou lied.

Actually, Voice had always been true to his promise.

Every mark inflicted on Ryou's back, was Voice's own work.

'Works of art', Voice called each and every one of them.

"School…?" Amane looked angry, "How could you get all those at school and not let anyone know!"

"Amane…"

"I'll kill him!" Amane screamed, "I'll kill the man who took away my big brother!"

Ryou stared at her, in horror.

Those words…

Beside him, Voice was giving his sister the most hateful, sinister look possible.

* * *

><p>That night, after Ryou had gone to sleep, Amane was still awake.<p>

Awake, and angry.

There was no way she could hope to get any sleep with the feelings that were flowing all through her.

So she slowly crept out of bed...

Left her room, leaving her door wide open.

She snuck through the halls…

Until she reached her brother's room, pushing the door open and going inside.

Amane wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, but…

She had heard a voice, telling her to see her brother again.

Wait, when had she ever gone insane to the point where she was hearing voices?

Once in Ryou's room, she stood there for a moment, looking around.

It was then when she heard the voice again.

"_There is something interesting over here…_" It said.

Amane tiptoed over to Ryou's bed, and blinked.

Even when he was asleep, Ryou still wore that cursed ring.

The ring was so bright, even in the dark.

It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen…

Though Amane never did have a good feeling about that ring.

Something about it was just so…

Dark.

Evil.

Like something that came out of a nightmare.

"_That ring… You can feel its dark energy, can't you?_"

"…Yes. I can." Amane spoke softly.

"_Your poor big brother has been wearing this for so long… Perhaps its even been messing with his head._"

"But what can I do?"

"_We need to get it away from him… Don't you think?" _

"I… I'll take it from him."

"_Good luck, Amane." _

Amane slowly reached over, gently lifting up her brother's head, and slipping the rope, which the ring hung, from off his neck.

Ryou mumbled something about a voice in his sleep, though Amane paid him no mind, just happy that he hadn't woken up.

"Now, I can finally have my big brother back…" She giggled.

Without even really thinking, Amane threw the rope over her own neck and left the room.

Voice was sitting on the end of Ryou's bed, watching her close the door with a wide, evil grin stretched all over his face.

"_Good-bye, Amane Bakura._" He said and disappeared.

* * *

><p>Ryou awoke the next morning.<p>

Something was odd.

He had never felt so… light.

As if there had been a great weight taken off.

"Voice…?"

He felt light…

And alone.

"Voice?" He called again, "Are you there?"

He felt around his chest…

His eyes widened in horror.

The ring was gone.

Immediately he got out of bed, and looked all over his room.

Well, he _was_ very tired when he went to bed last night.

He may have taken the ring off somewhere…

No.

Ryou wouldn't have taken the ring off, no matter how tired he was.

Perhaps it fell off while he was asleep…

He checked under the bed, only to be disappointed.

Where was his Voice…?

Ryou ran out the room.

* * *

><p>He didn't stop running until he found his mother.<p>

She was in the den, playing her and Ryou's favorite piano.

Such beautiful music she played.

Yet not even his mother's music could calm him.

"M-Mother, have you seen my ring?" He asked, meekly.

"Oh?" His mother stopped playing and looked at him.

He must have looked so distressed.

Ryou was nearly in tears.

"So you didn't know? I'll have to give that girl a talk when she gets home…"

"Wh-What?"

"I'm sorry, dear, but your sister took your ring with to her piano lesson. She'll be back in an hour."

Ryou stared at her.

Amane had his ring?

So then Voice was with Amane…

Oh, he couldn't wait an hour to know if Voice was safe.

What was he saying?

Of course Voice would be just fine!

It was Amane he should be worried about…

Ryou was soon taken over by a bad feeling.

Amane was in danger, wasn't she?

"Er, Mother, do you think I could get a hold of her?"

"Ryou, your sister is in the middle of a lesson."

"Yes, but it's important…"

"Well, I'm sure you can wait. Now you may leave."

His mother went right back to her own piano playing.

Ryou gave a defeated sigh.

There had to be some way to make sure that Amane was okay…

Why did she take the ring, anyway?

What could he do?

Ryou felt so helpless without the ring…

He walked slowly into the hall, and fell down on the floor.

Crying.

He was crying.

Maybe he was just overreacting…

After all, it was the first time that he had ever been separated from the ring.

Maybe…

Everything would be alright…

* * *

><p>It was a little over an hour when a maid burst into the den, holding a phone.<p>

Ryou peeked into the room, all but wanting to hear bad news.

Well,

It was bad.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for the coach to stop.<p>

Ryou's mother jumped out and ran like a wild animal to the other car in the middle of the street.

Ryou didn't get out right away.

He was almost too afraid to.

But he had to see Amane.

He had to find Voice.

Ryou made his way out of the vehicle.

His mother was trying her best to calm down the hysterical nanny.

He braced himself before looking into the car…

And instantly regretted it.

Amane, his little sister, sat limping up in the corner of the backseat, blood rolling down the red line stretching all the way around her neck.

The ring was caught on the seat-belt, pulling her body upward.

She had been hung.

Voice was sitting back in the seat next to her, a smirk on his face. "So glad you found me, Landlord. I was getting worried."

"Voice…" Ryou mumbled, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'll answer your questions later. Just get the ring."

Ryou stepped into the vehicle, reaching up for the rope caught in the seat-belt.

He jumped in his skin when a rough hand slapped him on the shoulder.

"Pardon, but that was the rope that killed that girl." An officer scowled.

"A-Ah…" Ryou stuttered, "I'm sorry, but… The ring belonged to me. My sister took it today."

The officer shook his head, "Just as well. It was only a small crash… If she hadn't been wearing that, she probably would have lived."

"What…?"

Ryou looked over to Voice, who was sitting there quite happily.

"I'd still like it back, sir." He slowly bowed his head, "You know what happened, so it shouldn't be a problem."

The officer only needed a little convincing before he was helping Ryou get the rope off.

It didn't take as long as first thought, and Ryou soon wore the ring around his neck again.

"Thank-you." He nodded, "I pray you'll visit my sister's funeral."

"Of course."

* * *

><p>Amane's funeral was anything but what it should have been.<p>

Amane had always hated the idea of a bunch of older women crying over their friend's child.

A child who they didn't even know.

Well, that was exactly what happened.

The funeral home was full.

Full with the friends of their parents, and family members.

Amane had quite a few friends, but none of them were there.

No one wanted to be at the funeral of a girl who was hung in her car seat.

Something that Ryou never understood, since the things that frightened most people had always fascinated him.

Which may have been the reason why he couldn't bare to let go of the ring that killed his sister.


	4. A Song For You

It was in the early afternoon, exactly a week before the anniversary of Amane's death.

At first Ryou had thought that he'd write a piano piece in her honor, but decided against it due to his lack of ideas.

And so he had spent about half an hour simply playing whatever song came to mind.

He loved his mother's piano almost more than his mother, herself.

He still loved his mother dearly, even more so after Amane died.

And as she loved the piano, so did he.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing, Landlord?" Voice asked as he appeared beside him.<p>

Ryou smiled, welcoming his guest, "I'm playing music on Mother's piano."

"Is that so?" Voice sat down beside Ryou on the piano stool, "Will you play a song for me, then?"

"Of course!" Ryou giggled, "What would you like to listen to?"

Voice tilted his head to the side, "Play me the song you played for those guests two days ago."

"Alright. Anything for you, Voice."

Ryou gave the spirit a peck on the cheek and began to play the requested music.

* * *

><p>From the door, his mother had been listening to the seemingly one-sided conversation.<p>

She was crying, worrying over her son's mental health.


	5. Visits To Doctor Robert

"Where did you say we were going, Mother?" Ryou yawned as he looked out the car window.

He had grown to dislike leaving the house.

He was always happier to simply stay in his room, where Voice would do all sorts of things with him.

Odd things.

Though Ryou never minded.

After all, he loved his voice.

He had a few new scars on his neck, but he didn't mind that, either.

He loved his scars almost as much.

Ryou's mother stroked her son's cheek.

She hadn't noticed that new scar too long ago, and knew at that very moment that she had to do something.

"We are going to see Doctor Robert today." She answered.

Ryou blinked, "Doctor Robert the psychiatrist?"

"Yes. We will be seeing him from now on, for as long as we need to."

"Whatever for?"

His mother did her best to avoid eye contact with him, "Just promise me that if anything is bothering you, you will tell him."

"Oh, of course, Mothe-"

"And maybe you could tell him about your new imaginary friend, as well."

Voice was sitting behind Ryou, who leaned against him.

He could see the surprise that appeared over his lighter half's face.

Voice scowled in disgust as he listened to that cursed woman speak.

"Do you understand, Ryou?"

"…Yes, Mother."

* * *

><p>The first few visits to the Doctor Robert were alright.<p>

They were simple.

At first, Ryou would enter the office, he and the doctor would share a few words, and then he would sit down and watch the doctor work with only a few words.

Though as time went on, the doctor would speak with him more.

He would ask Ryou questions, and make attempt to become friendly with him.

Although Ryou didn't mind so much and enjoyed having people to talk to, Voice wasn't happy in the least.

* * *

><p>"I don't like that so-called doctor." Voice muttered as he pasted around in Ryou's bedroom one evening.<p>

"I think he's nice." Ryou, who was sitting on the end of his bed, defended the man.

"Idiot!" At that moment, Voice struck him violently over the head.

The force of the spirit's contact sent Ryou falling backwards on his bed with a loud wail.

Voice stood there, yelling at the boy, "You can't trust what that fool has to say, or that wretch you call 'mother'!"

He stopped when he noticed the other boy crying.

"Landlord…" He went and laid down beside Ryou, pulling him into an embrace, "I'm only saying this because I know what's best for you. You trust me, do you not?"

Ryou nodded, burying his head into the darkness' chest, "Y-Yes, I trust you, Voice."

"Good."

* * *

><p>It had been exactly a month since the visits started.<p>

One visit was different than all the rest.

Over the past week, Doctor Robert had started asking questions about Ryou's "imaginary friend", as Voice was called.

Ryou was never comfortable when it came to telling other people about Voice, but the Doctor was so persistent.

Eventually Ryou gave in and began telling the Doctor small pieces of information about Voice.

Not everything.

Never everything.

If the Doctor knew about anything else, such as the deal he had made, Ryou couldn't imagine what he would think.

And he would tell him mother as well.

Then what would happen?

It was that one visit that changed everything…

It was then where the Doctor told Ryou his theories on his "imaginary friend".

And Ryou was forced to listen.

Never had he wanted to escape from a doctor so desperately.

"I believe that it was a figment in your mind created from the shock of losing your sister." Doctor Robert continued to explain.

It was then when Ryou jumped out of his seat exclaiming, "You believe that losing Amane has caused me to go mad? That I'm seeing things out of sheer loneliness?"

The Doctor gasped when Ryou removed his shirt, reveling the many scars that covered his entire body, "These aren't marks made by my own hands!"

Of course Ryou's sudden outburst didn't help the situation much at all.

* * *

><p>The Doctor was sure to tell his mother about the event the moment she stepped in to get him.<p>

Then on the way home, Ryou and his mother had a rather awful conversation that only left the poor boy in tears.

When they returned home, they didn't speak another word to each other and Ryou went straight to his room, slamming the door and collapsing on the bed.

"You were right. You were right, Voice." Ryou sobbed in his pillow, as Voice laid beside him, stroking his hair, "Horrid people, they all are."

"I told you to trust what I said, Landlord." Voice said in a soft, yet stern tone.

"I did trust you, and I still do. I-I just… I don't understand."

"That's fine."

"He said you were… I mean, I don't believe him, but… How… Why?"

"Landlord, stop."

Ryou stopped speaking instantly, not only because Voice had told him to, but also he was chocking too much to say another word, anyway.

Voice gave him a kiss on the head to calm him down, and whispered into his ear, "The man won't be a bother to you for long. Clearly he needs to know what's really going on… But he won't live to tell, I can promise you that."

Although Ryou found himself puzzled by his look-alike's words, he shrugged it off with a smile, "You know best, Voice."

* * *

><p>Ryou didn't get to see Doctor Robert again.<p>

The moment his mother left with him to the next appointment, he suffered a sudden blackout…

And Voice took over.

When Voice entered the office, he leaned against the door, smirking at the Doctor with dangerous eyes.

"Notice anything different about me, Doctor~?" He asked in a singsong voice.

However, Doctor Robert would never get the chance to answer that.

* * *

><p>"Dead?" Ryou's mother slapped her forehead.<p>

"I don't know what happened… I'm really sorry, Mother." Ryou sighed.

It seemed as if people were just dropping dead all around him.

Not something that was exactly pleasant for a nine-year-old boy.

Moments after the Doctor's death, Ryou had awoken suddenly in his seat, staring right down at the body.

Or rather, pieces of the body were scattered all over the floor.

Voice hadn't told him anything, but he had a pretty good idea of what could have happened.

His mother was having an even harder time believing it than he was.

"How could this happen? And who would even do such a thing?"

All Ryou could do was silently nod along with everything his mother said.

* * *

><p>"Why did you do that to him?" Ryou sat down on his bed, looking into the spirit's dark eyes.<p>

"What do you mean by that?"

Ryou rephrased his question, "What did that man do to deserve being torn to pieces?"

Voice chuckled, "What did he do? He made you cry, Landlord. He told you lies. A man like that doesn't deserve to live. That's why I killed him."

Ryou smiled, touched by the voice's twisted reasons.

"Believe me, Landlord, I am very real." Voice appeared behind Ryou, tracing a line down his neck with a sharp nail, "_So very real._"

He pressed down, drawing blood from Ryou's sickeningly pale skin.

And then he licked it up.

"And I will only become more real."

Ryou winced as blood trailed down his neck.

Though it didn't hurt.

After so long, he was too strong for it to hurt.

It hurt at first.

Ryou would often regret making that promise with Voice, just because of the pain.

It hurt so much at first.

But that was then, and this was now.

And now Ryou didn't mind it at all.

Now it wasn't any different than getting your hair brushed in the morning.

Often painful, but just another part of the morning routine.

The way Ryou thought of these injuries…

An adult would be sure to be against these 'terrible treatments'.

But he didn't think it was so terrible.

These cuts and scars made Voice happy, and so Ryou was also happy.

Why wouldn't he be happy?

After all, he loved his voice.

"Mmm." Ryou grinned as Voiced continued cutting lower onto his back.

"Do you like this, Landlord?"

Ryou nodded, maybe a little too excitedly.

Voice chuckled, using his abnormally sharp nails like pens on paper.

"You know, I think I'm getting better at my art."

The boy nodded once more, "The ones on my back are a bit difficult to see, but I think so, too."

"I'm glad."


	6. A Maid Named Lisa

The next morning, Ryou's mother began looking for a new therapist.

"I heard that Doctor Walter was good with children." Ryou had heard her say.

He didn't interfere much with her search, only sitting down and drinking his tea.

Voice sat down on a clear spot on the table.

He had always thought chairs as boring as the ones in the dining room weren't worthy enough for him to sit on.

So the table just had to do.

"Would you like some more tea, milady?" The new maid, Lisa Thompson, reached over to take mother's cup.

His mother slapped her hand away, "A maid such as yourself should know better than to reach across the table when I haven't told you to!"

Lisa retreated, quickly bowing, "I'm sorry, Milady."

"Just… Go."

And so Lisa scurried off, her head down in shame.

Lisa wasn't someone who liked getting things wrong.

Ryou had only known her for a short while, but he often felt sorry for her.

His mother was usually a very gentle, kind woman…

But he supposed that Lisa just came at a bad time.

* * *

><p>Lisa was a very spiritual woman.<p>

She wasn't as religious as other people, but she was a proud believer of the afterlife.

Had her childhood gone any different, she wouldn't have wanted any part in ghosts or Heaven.

However at the age of ten, she had a life changing experience of encountering energy that came off from a murdered dog.

She had been visiting a family friend's home not too far away from the city, when she felt the energy from the attic.

Though she could only stay in the attic for a moment.

The energy was so strong… And sad.

She felt sick and fled instantly.

It was a day or two later when Lisa was speaking to the two older sons of the household…

Where they told her a story of how they and their friends had skinned a dog alive, simply as something to do.

They told it in such sickening detail, like a horror story.

If Lisa hadn't gone into the attic, she probably wouldn't have believed them.

* * *

><p>Lisa's paranormal encounters didn't stop there.<p>

From time-to-time, she would be pushed or shoved by an invisible force, or she would see blurry white figures at the inns she visited.

No one would ever believe the things she told them.

Lisa had decided that it was some kind of super power that she had.

A superpower that was either a blessing or a curse.

After all that, she was now a very strong believer.

Not so much a believer in Heaven and God, because everyone believed in that.

Lisa never was fond of what everyone else thought.

She believed that if God were really so merciful, there wouldn't be so many unhappy spirits in the world.

She believed in a world where the dead co-exist secretly with the living.

So it wasn't such a surprise when she saw Voice sitting on the table with sweet little Ryou, whom she had grown fond of.

Such a sight sent a smile all over her face.

* * *

><p>No one loved her life stories more than Ryou.<p>

He would allow her to take breaks just to tell them to him.

And Lisa loved telling him her stories.

It wasn't every day when she found someone who was just as interested the occult as she was.

Ryou also had a few interesting stories, himself.

In only a short time, Lisa had grown to love the boy.

* * *

><p>Lisa wanted to do something special for him.<p>

She knew that Ryou loved games.

Well, every child did.

But Ryou loved RPG games most of all.

She decided to go to the game store only a block away.

There was a game there that had only just been released from Japan.

"Monster World", it was called.

It was suppose to be based off of a different RPG game called Dungeons and Dragons.

Players would battle against the Dark Game Master in an epic quest, which would be written by the game master.

Pawns used in game play could be created at home with clay.

She knew that Ryou had a love for art, as well.

The perfect gift for someone as perfect as Ryou.

* * *

><p>"Master Ryou?" Lisa peeked her head into his room.<p>

She could see that he had been talking to the spirit that was always with him.

"Oh? Come in." Ryou stiffened, but the spirit gave a nod to signal it being alright if she came in.

Lisa pushed the door open with a wide smile, "I got you something today that I think you'll like."

"Really?"

"Mhm." Lisa sat down in the middle of the room, pulling the game out of her bag.

She could see the boy's eyes light up in pleasant surprise.

He got down and joined her on the floor. "Oh, is that what I think it is?"

"I believe so." Lisa lifted up the game box to show him, and then set it down on the floor.

"Oh, that's fantastic! Thank-you, very much, Miss. Lisa."

"Of course, Ryou. Anything to make you happy."

Lisa and Ryou went on to playing with the game pieces, and putting together the model.

And Lisa never bothered to pay attention to the spirit, who lounged on the bed glaring at her, hatefully.

If looks could kill, she'd be dead and with her body engulfed in flames.

* * *

><p>"Who are you making now, Landlord?" Voice sighed.<p>

Ryou was busy making yet another pawn for his game.

Something that was becoming his favorite hobby.

Though he had to admit, Voice had come to love RPG games as well.

He also quite liked the idea of creating his own pawns.

Not to mention that the title "Dark Game Master" sounded pretty good to him.

What he didn't like was that _she_ was the one who gave the game to them.

He hated _her_.

It was because of that woman that Voice was getting less and less time with his Landlord.

Ryou was either telling her about something that was between him and Voice only, or adding to his game world.

"Well?" Voice hissed.

Ryou looked up at him with a smile, "I'm making Miss. Lisa."

"What?" Voice leaned over the table to get a closer look to the pawn, "Oh, it does look like her."

So now he was making a pawn to look like her.

Just great.

"Thank-you, Voice. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this…"

"Yeah."

As Voice looked at the pawn, a smirk pulled over his face as he began to get an idea…

An idea that would lead to the end of Lisa Thompson.

* * *

><p>Ryou's father had built a room in the top floor of the house to keep his son's games in.<p>

Ryou kept his Monster World game on a table there, with shelves full of clay pawns.

And that was where Lisa would spend the rest of her life.

It was rather sad, seeing how Lisa loved this room.

It had been like the room she had always wanted as a girl.

There were times when she felt so envious of Ryou.

When Lisa entered the room to clean, she stopped cold as she heard the door slam shut and lock.

Voice stood there, with his arms crossed coolly, "Good evening, Lisa."

It was almost strange.

Lisa was the only person who could ever tell the difference between Voice and Ryou.

A good reason why Voice thought that it would be worth letting her live after all.

Lisa gasped, "You're the spirit with Ryou. Why are you using his body?"

Voice scoffed, "What, do you believe that there are only the good and helpful spirits?"

"But you're Ryou's friend, aren't you?"

"That's none of your business."

Voice licked Ryou's hand and then reached into his pocket, pulling out the pawn made in Lisa's image.

Why should a perfectly good pawn go to waste?

"You know, my Landlord is quite fond of you."

Lisa smiled, "Yes, I quite like him, too."

Voice looked at her hatefully, "And that's why I've decided to get rid of you."

The woman blinked, her eyes now full of sudden confusion. "Wh-What?"

The ring was glowing now, and Voice grinned as he started walking towards her.

* * *

><p>Voice put the pawn, now containing Lisa's soul, back onto the shelf.<p>

He wore the biggest smirk that anyone could ever imagine.

Oh, he was beyond proud of himself.

He was beginning to get so many ideas for the future…

Already he could tell that he was going to be quite fond of Monster World.

And that he was going to turn it into a real world, with real residents livings within it.

And it would be his and Ryou's world.

He was sure to get the corpse out of the game room.

He pulled Lisa down the stairs by her neck, and into the kitchen where he cut her apart and stuffed her limbs into the refrigerator.

That was sure to shock them.

He mumbled to himself before going back to Ryou's room, "Such a shame that she will never get to experience the 'afterlife' that she so loved."

And that was that.

* * *

><p>Everyone heard the scream that happened in the kitchen a little before dinnertime.<p>

Ryou's mother burst through the group of servants who crowded around the fridge.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Milady," Their butler looked so frightened, "Th-There has been a murder."

"A… Murder?" His mother gasped.

"Murder?" Ryou made his way to his mother's side.

He stared into the open fridge, with wide eyes.

Blood was dripping everywhere, with a pool at the bottom.

He froze in fear the moment he saw her head in the freezer.

The head of Lisa Thompson still had the terrified expression that she died with.

Voice appeared behind him, whispering, "You'll love me for this soon enough, Landlord."

Voice stepped forward, into the pool of his victim's blood.

Ryou watched in anticipation to what the spirit would do.

"You should really think a different way about what I do for you." Voice smirked, scooping up the blood in his hands.

"Voice…" Ryou mumbled.

Voice cackled, skipped over to Ryou and began using the blood as paint, drawing lines all over the boys face.

"With a little appreciation, I think you could have some fun, too."

And then Voice threw the blood up into the air, and it splashed all over Ryou, staining his white hair red.

"…Ryou?" His mother and the servants nearly screamed as the boy's hair suddenly changed.

Ryou giggled when Voice grabbed his hand and ran out the kitchen, pulling him with.

After that, Ryou never spoke of Lisa again.


	7. Hide And Seek With A Dead Man

It wasn't long after Lisa's death when Ryou's mother started looking twice as hard for a new therapist.

She found many, however none of them lasted long.

Being the religions woman that she was, she was beginning to wonder if her poor son had been possessed by a demon.

And as farfetched as the idea seemed to her, she wasn't actually that far off from the truth.

It was strange to her.

That every therapist who she'd send her son to, would only suffer the same fate as Doctor Robert.

Only unlike Doctor Robert, the rest of the bodies had disappeared all together.

Oh, what was she to do?

* * *

><p>The corpse of the seventeenth doctor lay before them.<p>

Voice was sure to add the man's soul to the little pawn that he had brought with.

Ryou giggled and applauded him with great enthusiasm, "Oh, that was marvelously frightening!"

"Why, thank-you, Landlord." Voice smirked, sitting down on the floor and cutting the body into different pieces.

"You sure love doing that."

Voice laughed and jumped onto the seat where Ryou was sitting, embracing him in a hug, "That's because I thought of a new game."

"Game?"

"Oh, yes!" Voice kissed the boy on the cheek, and appeared right by the corpse again. "We still have plenty of time before our _dear_ mother comes for us... Let's play my game, shall we?"

Ryou smiled, "I'd love to, Voice."

"The rules are quite simple." Voice went onto explaining as he continued cutting and pulling at the man, "You, my Landlord, will count to exactly twenty seconds while I go and hide the fool's limbs within the room."

"And then I have to find them?"

"Yesss."

* * *

><p>Ryou curled up on the sofa chair, covering his eyes as he began to count.<p>

As he did so, Voice carried the body parts around, placing them into various areas in the room.

"Nineteen... Twenty." Ryou grinned a looked around to see Voice standing in the center of the room.

"Everything is ready for you."

"Well, here I go!" Ryou got up from his seat, and Voice sat there instead.

With Voice giving him clues every so often, Ryou went around the room in search.

"You're close to one, Landlord."

"Ah, thanks."

Ryou smiled when he saw blood dripping from a drawer, and he swung it open, pulling out an arm, which had been severely abused in order to fit.

Only a moment later he managed to find a leg in the cabinet.

This one was more difficult to get out, due to the foot getting caught in something, and Ryou had to give it a good yank, tearing the foot right off.

The torso was discovered in plain sight, between the gap of the door and the plant, with a finger in the plant's soil.

"I have to say, I didn't think you'd find so many right away." Voice said, impressed.

Ryou giggled, "Well, I really love your games, Voice."

* * *

><p>It didn't take him too long to find the rest of the limbs.<p>

The second leg and arm were together, crossed under the pillow of the second sofa seat.

He found the head as the best for last, under the desk.

Ryou had to get on all fours to get under and pull it out by the hair.

"Oof!" He lifted the head up, dropping it into the pile of limbs that he had made in the center of the room.

It was Voice's turn to clap, "Well done, Landlord!"

"Thank-you, Voice!" Ryou curtsied with the long, not-so white anymore, jacket he was wearing.

The two lookalikes lifted all the body parts up, tossing them into the garbage and burst into laughter.

Once they were sitting down again, Voice put a strand of Ryou's hair into his mouth, sucking off the blood, "I like you when you're red, Landlord."

Ryou, who wasn't the most sure how to take that, simply smiled and nodded.

* * *

><p>"Good Heavens… What on Earth happened to you, Ryou?" Ryou's mother asked when she met him at the entrance.<p>

"He's dead, I'm sorry, Mother."

"Oh…"

There was no possible way to hide how afraid she was of her wonderful son.

"Well, let's just go home."

"Alright, Mother." Ryou smiled, taking her hand and they went on back to the car.

There was just no way around it.

She had given birth to a psychopathic child.

Not that she didn't love Ryou.

She loved him with all her heart.

But…

Something had to be done.

And if therapy wasn't going to do the trick, then she was just going to have to find something else.


	8. Ryou's School Days

Ryou got ready for school like any other day.

He wore his favorite turtle-neck sweater and then sat down at the dinning table, chatting quite happily with Voice as he waited for the maid to bring him breakfast.

Servants often gave him strange looks as they passed by, but Voice was the only one who noticed as Ryou paid them no mind at all.

Just as well that they didn't bother to do much more than take a glance.

For if they were to interrupt such a nice conversation, Voice would have been tempted to murder them all in order to use the corpses in his next fun game.

It wasn't strange to be going to school without saying a word to his mother.

Even at Ryou's age, he rarely saw his parents on the morning of a school day.

And he barely ever saw his father, anyway.

The man was always somewhere else on the globe.

Ryou, with his childish mind, wouldn't have been surprised if his father had found his way into a completely different world.

And with everything that he and Voice had read, that actually didn't sound all that far-fetched to him.

Ryou's mother, now, she was in the office, in search for anything that could possibly help her with her 'problem'.

He wasn't sure exactly what that problem was, since she had simply refused to tell him anything.

* * *

><p>"Honestly, Landlord, are you still thinking about that?" Voice groaned in annoyance.<p>

Ryou lowered his head, twiddling his thumbs under the table, "Yes, I guess I am."

"Well, stop it. That woman's not worth stressing over."

"But Voice, I'm worried about her. She just seems so… Odd."

"What did I just say?"

"Not to become stressed?"

"Exactly."

Ryou smiled, thoughtfully, "Well, you're probably right. I shouldn't be worrying for Mother minutes before I have to leave for school."

Voice chuckled, poking his host's freshly served food, "Better eat before leaving, Landlord."

Ryou nodded, taking his first bite, "Mmm."

"Good?"

"Quite."

* * *

><p>That day it was the butler who drove Ryou to school.<p>

It wasn't the first time, but it didn't happen often.

"_Miss. Hamish quit just yesterday. So Mr. Ronald will be taking care of you until I can find another nanny._" His mother had told him only a few days ago.

It didn't really matter, but Ryou wasn't so used to change.

Although, things had changed a lot in only the past two years.

Mr. Ronald was completely silent as he drove, never speaking a word to the boy.

"Hum." Ryou sighed, leaning his head over to the side to lean on Voice, sitting beside him.

Voice smirked, welcoming the gesture.

He was in a rather odd mood today.

At school, Mr. Ronald helped Ryou with his bag and did no more than that, leaving right after.

Ryou made his way to his grade four class and took a seat in his desk.

* * *

><p>"I'm here, Miss." He said when his name was called from the attendance.<p>

And then the lesson began almost right away.

"Now, in order to tell a good story, you have to read what others have written." The teacher, Miss. Martha wrote down some things on the board.

"Well, no duh." Voice, who was sitting on the desk, rolled his eyes, getting a giggle out of Ryou.

"Now, what are some of the best known stories?" Miss. Martha asked to the class.

A boy raised an eager hand up, "Fairytales?"

"Yes, fairytales!" Miss. Martha clasped her hands together, "No story is as well known as the many fairytales."

"Fairytales…?" Ryou mumbled to himself, a smile forming on his lips.

* * *

><p>Every child likes fairytales, especially a child like Ryou Bakura.<p>

Ryou loved fairytales almost more than anyone else in the world.

Well…

His idea of the perfect fairytale was different than most children.

He preferred the versions of fairytales where the prince would meet a horrible fate, or the princess would greatly suffer, and with no happily ever after.

What he loved were the original fairytales written by the Brothers Grimm.

A cruel universe where children younger than him would learn their life lessons at the price of their very lives.

That's what Ryou loved.

* * *

><p>"Now, I'll assume that everyone knows these stories…" Miss. Martha looked around the classroom, deciding whom to pick out of the whole class,<p>

"You, Mr. Bakura." She pointed to Ryou.

"Yes, Miss?"

"Surely your nannies have told you the story of Sleeping Beauty, haven't they?"

"Sort of…" They had told him, but he hadn't been paying attention to that particular version, "I never paid attention, but I later read it on my own."

"I see." She continued, "Well, then, can you tell the class a summary of the story?"

Ryou nodded, "Alright, Miss."

"This'll be good." Voice hissed in laughter.

Ryou ignored him, going onto telling his version of the Sleeping Beauty.

"There was a woman who fell under the spell of an evil fairy, cursed to sleep for one hundred years." Was how he started it, "In that time, she was put up in the top of a tower, waiting to be awakened."

All eyes were on him, including Voice who was enjoying their 'story-time'.

Ryou continued explaining the story, secretly laughing to himself, "I don't remember too much about it, but… When she was asleep, the woman was raped in her bed and later gave birth."

There were some gasps in the room and Voice burst out laughing at the teacher, who's face suddenly turned pale.

"The woman was finally woken up by a prince's kiss. Then the two of them got married." Ryou smiled, continuing with the story, "Unfortunately, the prince forgot that he was already married, and his wife became angry. She took the woman's children, and boiled them. Then that's all I remember of it."

Voice gave a round of applause, but other than that the room fell into silence.

"What does 'rape' mean?" One of Ryou's younger classmates asked, and Miss. Martha's face turned a bright red.

"Ryou Bakura!" She roared, "I think you should be going off to the principal now."

"Principal?" Ryou tilted his head.

Why did he need to go there?

Did Mr. Peterson want to talk to him about something?

Miss. Martha stormed over, pulling a confused Ryou out of his seat and pushing him out the door.

* * *

><p>Ryou waited until Voice appeared beside him before making his way to the office, "I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"<p>

"Not at all, Landlord." Voice gave him a pat on the head, "She was probably just reminded of a bad experience, is all."

"Miss. Martha was raped?" The boy asked, maybe a little too loud.

Voice laughed, not answering the question, and the two of them went into the office.

* * *

><p>"Ryou Bakura, is it?" Mr. Peterson, the principal, adjusted his glasses.<p>

"Yes, sir." Ryou sat down, swinging his legs around, with Voice leaning on the back of the chair, behind him.

"Can you tell me why you are here?"

Ryou shook his head, "I'm sorry, sir. I don't know."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Mr. Peterson sighed, "Well, you're not someone who is often in trouble, are you?"

"No, sir."

"Then you may go." And with a wave of the hand, the meeting was over.

"Thank-you, sir." Ryou got up and left with Voice.

* * *

><p>"Is it always so short?" Voice looked back at the office.<p>

"No." Ryou skipped down the hall, "I heard that if a student is really bad, he'll get scary."

"Oh? How scary?"

"He hits people..."

Voice winced, "Well, then good thing you did nothing wrong, Landlord."

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>Soon the children were out playing in the schoolyard.<p>

Sometimes Ryou didn't like recess.

If it wasn't for Voice, he would have been all alone.

No one ever wanted to play with him...

And even if they did, Ryou had promised Voice...

That promise had made him afraid of making friends.

"Those fools aren't good enough for you, anyway." Was Voice's way of trying to make him feel better.

And so the two of them played in the sandbox, ignoring the world around them.

Or trying to, anyway.

Ryou clapped when Voice showed off his new sand creation."I'd love to live in a castle like that someday!"

"It is quite a nice one." Voice agreed in admiration.

"Maybe you could build one just like it." Ryou exclaimed, childishly.

"Maybe, Landlord."

* * *

><p>Many of the other children snickered as they walked past the white-haired boy.<p>

"Who's that kid?"

"Ryou Bakura... Some crazy rich kid."

"I think he's weird. I mean, he talks to himself and everything."

Ryou did his best to ignore them.

He really did.

Though it wasn't easy.

Especially when mockery from afar became a sudden burst of bullying.

There were two children who ran right up to poor Ryou, knocking Voice's castle right down.

"Well, the real thing will be much stronger." Voice muttered.

If anything, Voice was feeling much more unpleasant than his host was.

Ryou sat there, quietly.

The only sound he made were the sniffles of the nose and some soft tears.

* * *

><p>"Voice...?"<p>

Voice, who had Ryou in a tight embrace, made a questioning face. "Yes, Landlord?"

Ryou got comfortable on his Voice's lap.

He had stopped crying a little while ago, but he liked it when Voice held him like this.

"Why don't they like me?" He sighed.

"...They don't understand. That's why."

"Don't understand? I see." Ryou fidgeted with the sleeves of his school uniform.

"I thought I told you not to worry about things like that." Voice traced over Ryou's neck scars with a finger, "They don't deserve your concern."

"I know, but... I'm lonely."

"Lonely?" Voice winced, "Aren't I good enough for you?"

Ryou leaned back, looking up into the spirit's eyes, "Sometimes I'm not so sure."

"Well, be sure of this." Voice bent down, planting a quick peck on his landlord's lips, "I'm all you need to be happy."

* * *

><p>That didn't make Ryou feel any better, though.<p>

Although Voice did his best to convince him otherwise, Ryou just couldn't drop the subject.

"Voice...?"

"What?" Voice hissed, now quite annoyed with his landlord.

Ryou hesitated.

He knew that his Voice was unhappy with him.

He just couldn't help himself.

"Why don't people like me?" Ryou did feel a bit silly, being on the edge of tears. "...What's wrong with me, Voice?"

Voice's eyes softened and he sighed. "You're not the one there's something wrong with."

"Really...?"

"Yes." The spirit went back to building up his castle, "If the rest of those mortals were anything like you, this world might not be so bad."

Ryou wiped away his tears and smiled. "I wish I'll be with lots of friends, someday. Nice friends who won't hurt us."

Voice grumbled to himself, quietly.

Why couldn't Ryou just be happy with him?

What good would making friends with one of the mortals do if they were just going to die?

After all, they were all going to die.

One day, it would just be him and his Landlord.

Oh how he was looking forward to that day...

Though he might have to wait until he and Ryou were older.

A chuckle escaped as Voice looked down on his castle.

Hey, he was pretty good at making sand castles.

* * *

><p>Voice stopped when he noticed three boys go up to his Landlord.<p>

"You're the crazy kid, right?" One of them said.

"Pardon?" Ryou blinked, surprised by the sudden encounter.

"Told ya that's him."

Voice hissed, leaning over to speak, "I think it would be best if we found someplace else to play."

"Someplace else to play...?" Ryou repeated in a question.

"Wow, he does talk to himself a lot."

Ryou stood up, about to leave, "I'm sorry."

"Aw, but we wanted to chat." One of them pouted.

Ryou looked back to Voice, unsure.

"Landlord. Let's play on the swings."

"The swings...?"

"Who said anything about swings?" The tallest boy snapped, slapping a hand on Ryou's shoulder.

Ryou jumped from the other boy's contact.

Voice was about ready to take things into his own hands, however soon found out that he didn't need to.

"Care to explain what's going on?" Came a stern voice from behind the boys.

It was Miss. Martha, with a girl from Ryou's class.

"Miss. Martha?" The boys gasped, letting go of Ryou.

Miss Martha dragged the boys away, who called back to the girl, "Ugly tattle-tale!"

* * *

><p>"Thank-you... Nina?" Ryou smiled.<p>

The girl nodded, "Yes. I hope I didn't make a mistake... It just looked like they were going to hurt you."

Ryou didn't reply, looking back over to Voice.

Voice didn't like this girl.

At all.

Not that he liked any of these fools.

"Say, do you play games?"

"...Games?" Ryou blinked, "Oh, yes! My favorite is Monster World."

"I'm quite good of that one."

Voice stood behind Ryou and listened to the conversation.

So this girl also played Monster World?

What a surprise.

Not.

"Perhaps one day we can have a game. I've got a few other friends to play with us." Nina offered.

"Y-Yes! I'd love to play with you!" Ryou didn't even have to think twice before giving out his answer.

"Really?"

"Yes! Yes!"

This was just what he wanted.

Wasn't it?

"Tomorrow, then. I can't wait!" Nina waved, and ran off to meet with her friends.

Ryou giggled and spun around in the sand, "A friend! I made a friend, Voice!"

"Yes... It seems you did." Voice glared over to the girl, evilly.

Ryou smiled, and skipped back over to the doors as the school bell rang.

* * *

><p>Mr. Ronald drove Ryou on the way home again.<p>

Like before, there wasn't much of a conversation between them.

Even so, Ryou happily planned out everything he wanted to happen in the game.

Voice made the odd comment, but was busy plotting silently to himself.

He had his own plans for the game.

Plans much different than Ryou's.

Not a big deal.

Just another fool to get rid of before he could have his Landlord forever, is all.


	9. Let's Play A Game

It was the next morning when Ryou's friends talked and giggled among themselves.

"Hey, aren't we going over to that weird kids house today?"

"Oh yes, to play board games!"

More laughter.

"Hey Nina, I didn't know you even liked board games." Rosie sat down, swinging her legs.

"Some more than others. Mostly I just want to see the kid's house." Nina smiled.

"He's rich, isn't he?" Samantha jumped up, stars in her eyes.

"Richer than the old lady down the street!"

"Oh wow! I'm going to see a real mansion!" Rosie squealed and the others laughed.

Little did they know, Voice had been watching them all morning.

* * *

><p>The day was going too slow for Ryou's liking.<p>

"Voice, what time is it now?" He asked again and again.

His Voice groaned, "It's lunch, Landlord. Hurry up and eat."

"Lunch… Still?" The boy took a spoonful of soup and blew on it.

"Don't be so impatient. The day is far from over…"

"-Oh but I can't help it!" Ryou gave a cheerful smile, "I'm so excited."

"For this afternoon?"

"Yes…" Getting bored of his spoon, he tossed it aside and drank right from the bowl, "I've never had other friends before."

Voice hissed in his head.

Why was this so important to his landlord?

It wasn't as if those girls really cared about him anyway.

So annoying…

So very annoying…

* * *

><p>The rest of the school day didn't go by much faster.<p>

Ryou and Nina sat a ways away from each other.

Even so, Ryou kept looking back at her with a smile.

He just couldn't hold in his excitement for the game.

He had spent the entire night before making pawns that could be used for the game.

Voice sighed, as his landlord was now paying no attention to the lecture at all.

Taking control of the boy's hand, he began writing down everything that was missed.

Because what kind of voice would he be if he couldn't do that for his misguided landlord?

"The rich boy's staring at you." He heard one of Ryou's "friends" whisper.

"Oh give him a break, he's just excited."

"It's still creepy."

And Ryou just blinked, without the slightest idea of what they were talking about.

* * *

><p>When school finally ended, the first thing Ryou did was go over and introduce himself to his friends.<p>

"Ah, my name's Ryou."

"We know." Nina giggled, "…This is Samantha."

She pointed over to said friend, who smiled.

"…And this is Rosie."

Rosie waved both hands in the air as a friendly gesture.

"It's nice to meet you all." Ryou grinned excitedly.

* * *

><p>The group of friends made their way out the school, where Mr. Ronald waited with the vehicle.<p>

The three girls each gapped when the laid eyes on the old thing.

Ryou didn't really understand why they did.

It was just a car and there wasn't much to do in it.

Mr. Ronald raised an eyebrow as the girls fought over who sat in which seat.

He didn't say anything, as usual, and put away all of their bags and belongings into the trunk.

The car ride didn't last very long.

The group spent the time telling stories and jokes.

Ryou even laughed at the jokes he didn't get.

The girls looked at him funny when he laughed at a joke only a girl would understand.

They decided to let it go, assuming that he didn't talk to many people.

Voice simply sat there, watching the group of friends.

'_It's not going to last forever, by tomorrow this will be history…_' He had to keep telling himself.

Soon they would be gone, and his Landlord would go back to talking to him on the way back home.

* * *

><p>And soon enough, the car drove parked itself in front of the mansion.<p>

Mr. Ronald opened the car door and let the children out before getting their things for them.

A series of gasps could be heard and the girls just stood there, staring at the mansion.

"Wow, so cool!"

Ryou got out the vehicle and grinned, "That's my house."

"I wanna live in a mansion just like this!" Rosie cried out and ran on ahead.

Nina giggled, throwing her arms into the air, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The other two girls then chased after Rosie.

Ryou was about to follow them when Voice stopped him.

"...Yes Voice?"

Voice crossed his arms with a huff, "I... Thought I should warn you now. Those girls aren't any good."

The boy tilted his head to the side, "Whatever do you mean? I like them."

"Just do us both a favor and stop liking them."

Ryou scratched his head.

His Voice wasn't making any sense...

Ah well.

Shrugging it off, Ryou went to join his friends.

* * *

><p>When the servant opened the door the greet them, she was taken by surprise as three upbeat girls zoomed in.<p>

"Just look at this place!" Samantha exclaimed.

"We can look around, right?" Nina pulled at Ryou's arm.

"Oh, okay." Ryou nodded.

Before the group of children wanted to explore the upstairs as well, when Voice decided he would just meet them in the game room.

He'd let Landlord have his fun for now.

* * *

><p>Ryou simply followed the girls around, telling them what each room was or who it belonged to.<p>

Now in the bedroom wing, they wanted to know about nearly every room.

"Who's in here?"

"Uhm…" Ryou scratched his head, awkwardly, "That used to be my sister's room."

"You have a sister?"

"Well-"

"What's in here now?"

The boy blinked when his friends opened the door, "…Ah, that's Mother's room!"

His mother was in the middle of reading the newspaper when the door swung open.

The group of children stared over to her, somewhat surprised to see someone.

"…Good afternoon, Mrs. Bakura!" Nina greeted.

Ryou's mother raised an eyebrow.

Wasn't this the first time her son had brought friends over?

"And who are you?"

"Oh! I'm Samantha, this is Nina, and that's Rosie! We're from school."

"…I see." His mother said.

Ryou glanced over to the article.

From where he was standing, he couldn't see what it was about, of course.

It was a rather long article…

There was a word in large, bold letters that he could see:

Schizophrenia.

…How odd.

Was mother interested in that sort of thing?

"Well, onto the next room!" Samantha giggled and ran out, followed by the other girls.

Ryou stood there for a moment.

He knew something like this shouldn't have bothered him, but…

"Have fun with your friends." His mother looked up at him with an odd expression.

Her eyes…

Why was she looking at him like that?

Eventually Ryou slowly nodded and closed the door.

"Come on Ryou, what's keeping you?" Nina waved to him.

"Ah… Sorry."

Odd.

Just… Odd.

* * *

><p>The game room…<p>

Voice loved this room.

This was where he gave his first present to his Landlord.

Lisa Thompson stood there on the shelf, a frown on her face.

He could hear her mumble something in that little pawn body of hers.

It made him happy when the pawns spoke.

He couldn't quite explain it…

The clay pawns that he and Landlord made are just like real people.

Yet they are perfect.

He could do anything he wanted to them and they wouldn't be able to fight back.

He thought he could make a little house for dear Lisa.

After all, she was an admirable person.

Perhaps she deserved something better than the shelf.

If he wanted, he could even turn her into an avatar…

Wouldn't she like that?

A smirk crept onto the spirit's face and he laughed.

Soon he'd have an entire village filled with people.

People with their own thoughts and feelings…

He supposed that the souls would eventually forget who they were.

That would be just fine.

* * *

><p>After a couple of hours of exploring, the children finally came to the game room.<p>

"And here it is!" Ryou proudly declared.

"Oh…" The girls blinked.

"O-Oh wooow!" Rosie clasped her hands, "This is really something!"

Voice grinned, "Landlord."

Ryou giggled and nodded.

While the girls looked over the model, he went over and took the little pawn of Nina.

"Hey… Nina, it's you!" He smiled.

Nina gasped, taking it from him, "It looks just like me!"

"…Mm?" Samantha glanced over to them, "Hey, that's neat!"

"I made avatars for you, too."

The girls giggled with pleasure before taking their pawns from him.

He then went on to telling them about the different RPG classes and the girls began planning out their characters.

Ryou felt odd.

He had always played this game with Voice…

Well, he had always done everything with Voice.

The only other person who he had ever played Monster World with was Lisa Thompson.

And she was, well…

It was strange.

Being around other people.

He wasn't quite sure if it was a good feeling or not,

It was simply strange.

Voice watched as Ryou got the game ready.

* * *

><p>With everything nearly ready to go other than the player details, Ryou plugged in the computer that his grandmother had gifted him.<p>

**Player 1:**

**Name:** Nina-Lovely

**Race:** Elf

**Class:** Level 0 Magician

**Player 2:**

**Name:** Sam

**Race:** Human

**Class:** Level 0 Warrior

**Player 3:**

**Name:** Rose

**Race:** Pixie-Fairy

**Class:** Level 0 Bard

And then Ryou, who played the Dark Master.

"A bard? Really?" Samantha crossed her arms.

Rosie giggled, "The description said they play lots of instruments."

Now that everything was ready, the group sat down around the game board.

Ryou explained the rules and then soon enough the game started.

"Okay, game start."

* * *

><p>To begin, the girls decided to head off to the town for information.<p>

Which was usually the first thing done in any RPG game.

The villain of the story was a werewolf-like creature.

Honestly, Ryou was quite proud of him.

His name was Glen and actually worked in the village as the bookstore owner before his transformation.

And Glen was doing an amazing job at playing his role.

Voice watched the game, waiting for the best time to put his own plan into action.

* * *

><p>As the game carried on, the heroines set off to explore the world.<p>

Nina rolled the dice, "…Oh, I got a Forty-six."

Ryou smiled, "Looks like you're ambushed by a group of level one monsters!"

And so the random encounter began, and that's when Voice took control…

Voice smirked, "Oh, I should probably tell you that this is this is a shadow game."

"…Did you say something?"

* * *

><p>When Ryou came back into cautiousness, the first thing he saw was the girls bodies.<p>

"W… What?"

The last thing he remembered was the random encounter.

What happened?

…What happened to his friends?

Voice was over examining the pawns that now held the souls of his friends.

Ryou slipped out of his seat and slowly went over to Nina.

"Nina?" He poked the side of her head.

No response.

"That's not going to do any good, Landlord." Voice seemed quite smug, "You can't expect an empty vessel to say anything."

Ryou brought his attention to the spirit, "You… What? Why?"

Voice appeared right in front of him, "It's not as if those girls cared about you from the start. They were using you."

"But… Nina stood up for me, she's my friend!" The boy could feel a tear run down his cheek.

"She wasn't. None of those mortals care for us." Voice hissed, "None of them. They never will care."

"B-But Voice… All I want is a friend."

Voice's eyes turned cold, "You made a promise to me, Landlord."

Ryou looked down at the ground.

He did make that promise…

And he broke it just by talking to Nina.

"I-I… V-Voice, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." His hugged his arms.

Now the tears were really coming.

Voice sighed.

He didn't think he was that hard on the poor boy.

Taking his host's hand, he pulled him into an embrace. "The world is still as cruel as it was when I was alive… If I didn't do anything, surely something terrible would have happened."

"Voice… I don't understand."

Voice made a small smile and he wiped away his Landlord's tears, "Someday you will."

Eventually Ryou returned the embrace.

Though he found himself unable to say anything more.

* * *

><p>The maid gasped when she walked in only to see three incautious girls.<p>

Ryou looked up to her, appearing to be frantic, "Help! T-They just fell asleep and I don't know what to do! Please tell mother…"

The maid nodded and rushed out the room.

The boy sadly looked over to his former friends.

From now on, he'd never break his promise again…


End file.
